Clearing Your Mind of Work-Related Stress Through Moderate-to-Vigorous and Leisure-Time Physical Activity: What ‘Dose’ it Take?

Work is reported as a major source of psychological stress. Because of its role in the onset of burnout and its impact on economic and health systems, work stress (WS) has become an issue of great concern. Two categories of physical activity, namely leisure-time and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (LTPA and MVPA), show promising evidence for reducing WS. Previous findings suggest that LTPA and MVPA allow adults to experience psychological detachment from job demands and to restore their depleted resources at work. However, doses of LTPA and MVPA associated with WS have not been established. This study aimed to address this gap using a cross-sectional, nationally representative sample of 4200 workers. Generalized additive models indicated that one hour a day, on average, spent doing an LTPA of 8.5 metabolic equivalents-hour (METs-hour) was associated with the lowest WS level (p < 0.001, Adjusted R2 = 0.04) while the optimal daily dose of MVPA was around 90 min (p < 0.001, Adjusted R2 = 0.04). A reduction in WS occurs even with low doses of physical activity, aligning with the tenet that getting some physical activity is better than none. This study’s findings offer quantitative insights for guiding health policies as well as future longitudinal and experimental studies.